Shadows and rings of a de Sitter-Schwarzschild black hole

Abstract

We study the optical appearance of a de Sitter-Schwarzschild black hole and its distinguishability from a Schwarzschild black hole. By exploring various accretion models and emission profiles, we investigate the impact of different parameters on the observed shadows and intensity profiles. Our analysis reveals that the outer edge of the shadow, corresponding to the apparent radius of the photon sphere, remains consistent regardless of the spherical accretion details or the size of the black hole. However, subtle differences in the overall brightness and intensity distribution can arise between these two black holes, especially for emission models with sharp peaks near the event horizon. We find that the de Sitter-Schwarzschild black hole tends to exhibit a slightly darker appearance in certain scenarios, while in others, it can appear slightly brighter than the Schwarzschild black hole. These distinctions become more prominent as the radial emission decreases more rapidly. Nevertheless, the size of the shadow alone is not sufficient to differentiate the potential differences in the optical appearance between the de Sitter-Schwarzschild black hole and the Schwarzschild black hole. Instead, distinctions may be observed in the overall brightness of the image.